barbecue

A meat eater reviews New Zealand’s best and worst vegetarian sausages

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vegetarian sausages

Amanda Thompson and her family are attempting to cut back on the meat, so they gave all the vego sausies the local supermarket had to offer a hoon on the barbie. Here are the results. I was a vegetarian once. Even the best of us take a well-meaning wrong turn on the tangled highways and … Read more

Meat, mullets and masculinity: Two days at Meatstock 2020

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Sam Brooks heads along to Meatstock 2020, and finds himself questioning the symbiotic relationship between meat-eating and machismo. As I entered Auckland’s ASB Showgrounds for the first day of Meatstock 2020, a girl was exiting. Trucker cap on, eyes hidden behind aviators, manicured fingers wrapped around a can, itself wrapped in a chilled cozy. One … Read more

The lost tapes of our Al Brown barbecue (plus ribs and pork rump steak recipes)

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In which Al Brown praised Simon Day’s grillin’ skills and we got it on tape… and then disaster struck. But don’t worry, the recipes survive.  If legendary chef Al Brown demands you cook his own recipes for him, you spend all night in the kitchen. And when he tells you how delicious everything is and … Read more

Lifting the lid on New Zealand’s barbecue culture

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Barbecuing is one of New Zealand’s national summer past-time, but what are the nuances in our barbecue culture? Brenda Talacek, Vector’s Group Manager for Gas Trading, lifts the lid. As a nation we’re pretty keen on barbecuing. While places like London have banned them from parks (unless it’s a re-useable charcoal one) Auckland Council provides public ones … Read more

Easy entertaining: how to fake it like you made it

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Instead of spending all night in the kitchen, keep it simple and use the time you gain to dazzle your guests with that sparkling wit of yours. Let me tell you something: attempting to make a risotto for the first time while simultaneously trying to greet guests, make awkward small talk and get them settled … Read more